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November 2006
The Who plays Gwinnett
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend could be phonin’ it in by now. And who can blame them after 40-plus years and endless itirations of retirement and comeback tours.
The Who isn’t making any pretense that this is the last go around. In fact, the rock legends proudly played several cuts from its latest, critically acclaimed release “Endless Wire.”
This is actually the Who’s first appearance in six years in metro Atlanta, skipping the area in 2002, the year John Entwistle died. This time at the Arena at Gwinnett, Townshend wasted no time (actually about 90 seconds) before unleashing his trademark windmill motion on his guitar during the opener “Can’t Explain.” He doesn’t quite leap the way he used to but he can still shred, especially during “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”
While staging was relatively bare, the band took advantage of newer technology: a massive five-part HDTV screen behind them to better show off graphics and give the folks in the back who paid only $52 (vs. $204 at the front) a better look at how well they’ve aged.
Daltrey, his tight curls much shorter than they used to be, looks far younger than his 62 years. And vocally, he has held up surprisingly well.
The videos weren’t always terribly subtle. During “Behind Blue Eyes”? A closeup of several eyes.
They did a sampler from “Endless Wire,” a 12-minute stretch which led Townsend to note semiseriously, “We invented this: the mini opera!” The mix included an ironic tune, “We Got a Hit,” ironic because it’s been a quarter century since the group has had a genuine hit (“You Better You Bet”) .
After the opera was over, Townshend noted, with a wink, “That’s not as long as a proper opera. And not even as long as the track that follows.”
So they broke into one of the most iconic guitar/keyboard combo riffs in rock history from “Baba O’Riley.” Just four days earlier on the same spot, the Blue Man Group did the same song — just with more drums and a lot weaker vocals. And the theme to “CSI: Miami” also happened to be the last song ever played on 96rock, which became Project 9-6-1 last Friday.
Fortunately for those who paid the big bucks to relive their childhood, the Who didn’t skip over the big ones, liberally sprinkling in the likes of “Who are You” and during the encores, “Pinball Wizard” and “See Me, Feel Me.”
But they finished with an acoustic version of the plaintive “Tea & Theatre” from “Endless Wire.” “We did it all, didn’t we?” Daltrey sang with a mix of weariness and pride.
The opener was another great rock group The Pretenders, led by Chrissie Hynde, a time capsule from the ‘80s, but the cool part of the decade, not the cheesy one. She wore the same bowl-ish haircut and white coat that would have fit right in when “Back in the Chain Gang” was on the charts and her silky, sexy voice remains as strong as ever. Too bad she didn’t have time as an opener to play “Middle of the Road” or “Brass in Pocket.”
“It’s good to see old faces,” Hynde said, jokingly. “Makes me feel good at least!”
The Who set list, November 22, 2006, Arena at Gwinnett:
Can’t Explain
Seeker
Anyway Anyhow, Anywhere
Fragments
Who are You
Behind Blue Eyes
Good Looking Boy
Mini-opera: Sound Round/ Pick up the Peace/We Got a Hit/Dream Come True/Mirror Door
Baba O’Riley
Eminence Front
A Man in a Purple Dress
Mike Post Theme
You Better You Bet
My Generation
Won’t Get Fooled Again
ENCORE:
Pinball Wizard
Amazing Journey/Sparks
See Me, Feel Me
Tea & Theatre
After the show: Wannabes come out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If Sunday’s event was about the stars, the aftermath was about those Atlantans who are trying to reach star status.
As record executives and an occasional celebrity filed out of the Fox Theatre, starting at around 8:30 p.m., local artists posted themselves along the red carpet, passing out their CDs, singing loudly, and one even rapping into a megaphone.
As helicopters circled above the scene, Atlanta police officers walked through the area.
For those fans who braved the chilly weather, there were a few perks: rapper Slim Thug walked along the barricades shaking hands and rapper Sean Paul from Atlanta rap group Youngbloodz posed for photos.
At around 9:20 p.m., police began to move a few barricades but that didn’t stop traffic from slowing on Peachtree Street near the Fox, where road closure was still an issue.
Permalink | | Categories: BET Hip-Hop Awards
Extreme editing needed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The first BET Hip-Hop Awards will air Wednesday, but there are some things only the 5,000 or so at the Fox Theatre on Sunday night will have seen. And heard. And felt. And smelled.
For starters, it was incredibly cold in the Fox, all the better to keep the equipment functioning properly. Meanwhile, the heat from the flame blast during one set could be felt in the back rows.
Lil Wayne, Baby and The Game didn’t bother bleeping their performances for the audience.
Marijuana hung in the air most of the evening.
What looks like a party on most music awards shows, felt a lot less celebratory this night. There were frequent intermissions, and people basically stood and watched each artist perform. Applause will almost certainly have to be added in the editing room.
Permalink | | Categories: BET Hip-Hop Awards
BET Hip-Hop Awards winners
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The complete list of winners:
Hip-Hop CD of the Year: “King”, T.I.
Hip-Hop Video of the Year: T.I., “What You Know”
Producer of the Year: Jermaine Dupri
Video Director of the Year: Hype Williams
Icon Award: Grandmaster Flash
Hip-Hop MVP of the Year: T.I.
Hip-Hop Hustler Award: Jay-Z
Lyricist of the Year: Common
Rookie of the Year: Chamillionaire
People’s Champ Award: Chamillionaire
Best Live Performance (aka Move the Crowd:) Busta Rhymes featuring Mary J. Blige, etc.
Best Collabo: Young Dro featuring T.I., “Shoulder Lean”
Hip-Hop Track of the Year: Nitti for “Goin’ Down”
Best Hip-Hop Dance: Snap
Best Hip-Hop Movie: “ATL”, directed by Chris Robinson
Best BET Mobile Hot Ringtone Award: Young Dro Featuring T.I. “Shoulder Lean”
Best U.K. Hip-Hop Act: Sway
Permalink | | Categories: BET Hip-Hop Awards
Atlanta’s finest get show crunk from start
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ludacris, Jermaine Dupri, Young Jeezy and Lil Jon — four of Atlanta’s biggest rap stars — kicked off the inaugural BET Hip-Hop Awards on Sunday night with a star-studded performance of “Welcome to Atlanta.”
Always one to rep his city, Luda wore an A on his baseball cap. On his sequined black T-shirt was one simple phrase: “I am Atlanta.”
Atlanta rapper T.I. won the award for hip-hop video of the year for “What You Know.” He accepted the award wearing a black hooded jacket and said he was taking the award “back to Bankhead.”
Permalink | | Categories: BET Hip-Hop Awards
Celebrity protocol for BET weekend
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When you’re on the prowl this weekend and see a celebrity, Atlanta rapper Yung Joc — who’s nominated for several BET Hip-Hop Awards — has some advice for you.
“Narrow it down to what you want,” he says. “Don’t approach an artist saying you want a picture, an autograph [and for them to] sign your T-shirt, and then try to hand them the phone and ‘Say hello to my cousin.’ Don’t do that. Narrow it down.”
Have you spotted any celebrities yet? Maybe at the baggage claim at the airport or sitting next to you at a local bar? Tell us who you’ve seen and where.
Permalink | | Categories: BET Hip-Hop Awards
Nick Marino’s CMA blog
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some random thoughts, opinions and observations from my day in Nashville covering the CMAs…
If you ever need to change into a tuxedo in the bathroom of a barbecue restaurant, you could do worse than to stumble into Jack’s, a cue joint on Broadway in downtown Nashville. After eating two decent sandwiches, I took my duffel bag into the men’s room and emerged looking like James Bond.
Here’s how the red carpet works. The celebs make an entrance and people cheer. Then, if you’re a working journalist, you stand still and let the celebrities come to you. Or, more accurately, you let their publicists come to you — they present you with little information sheets to brief you on the lesser celebs just before they arrive. (You’re expected to know who the big stars are, and the big stars may very well blow you off.) Then the celebrities (in this case mostly country singers) come by and you notice how much makeup they’re wearing and you ask them a couple of questions and try to guess whether they’ve rehearsed the answer. If you want to throw them off, you can ask something like “What are you reading?” I asked two different people, Gretchen Wilson and Kris Kristofferson, this question on the red carpet and they both replied exactly the same way — “What am I READING?” Eventually, they each coughed up an answer. Curious? Keep your eye on our Sunday Arts & Books section.
Big Kenny of the duo Big & Rich wore a small “Save Darfur” pin on his blue velvet blazer.
Cowboy Troy’s belt buckle was roughly the size of a flat-screen television.
I thought I heard Ronnie Dunn’s voice quiver when he was reading Keith Urban’s acceptance letter. I found this honest moment quite moving.
Josh Turner gave my favorite performance of the night. The guy’s voice is unbelievable, an echo of Johnny Cash. And his performance was somehow both understated and magnetic.
Carrie Underwood’s acceptance speech for best female vocalist was the defining moment of these CMAs. I knew as soon as she gave it that it would be re-played over and over. Sure enough, as soon as I exited the building I heard it re-played outside as I was heading to my car.
Speaking of Underwood, her shining moment was a less than stellar one for another nominee, Faith Hill. If you were watching the show, you saw her reaction when Underwood was named best female vocalist (if you didn’t, you can catch it online at YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyZRiEJnIag). According to USA Today, a rep from Hill’s management said the singer was joking. What a convincing jokester! With that hateful expression and exquisite eye-roll, she could have fooled me.
What do you think?
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